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Successive bouts of cycling stimulates genes associated with mitochondrial biogenesis

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Abstract

Exercise increases mRNA for genes involved in mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative enzyme capacity. However, little is known about how these genes respond to consecutive bouts of prolonged exercise. We examined the effects of 3 h of intensive cycling performed on three consecutive days on the mRNA associated with mitochondrial biogenesis in trained human subjects. Forty trained cyclists were tested for VO2max (54.7 ± 1.1 ml kg−1 min−1). The subjects cycled at 57% wattsmax for 3 h using their own bicycles on CompuTrainer™ Pro Model trainers (RacerMate, Seattle, WA) on three consecutive days. Muscle biopsies were obtained from the vastus lateralis pre- and post-exercise on days one and three. Muscle samples were analyzed for mRNA content of peroxisome proliferator receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PGC-1α), sirtuin 1 (Sirt-1), cytochrome c, and citrate synthase. Data were analyzed using a 2 (time) × 2 (day) repeated measures ANOVA. Of the mRNA analyzed, the following increased from pre to post 3 h rides: cytochrome c (P = 0.006), citrate synthase (P = 0.03), PGC-1α (P < 0.001), and Sirt-1 (P = 0.005). The following mRNA showed significant effects from days one to three: cytochrome c (P < 0.001) and citrate synthase (P = 0.01). These data show that exhaustive cycling performed on three consecutive days resulted in both acute and chronic stimuli for mRNA associated with mitochondrial biogenesis in already trained subjects. This is the first study to illustrate an increase in sirtuin-1 mRNA with acute and chronic exercise. These data contribute to the understanding of mRNA expression during both acute and successive bouts of prolonged exercise.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the subjects for their investment in time and energy. We would like to thank the following ASU graduate students involved in the data collection for this investigation, including: Jessica Unick, John Troy Owens, Matt Hudson, Peter Hosick, Steven Pearce, Timothy McInnis, Heather LaSasso, Michael Rigby and Sean Schumm. This study was partially supported by a grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Army Research Office (ARO), award number W911NF-06-0014.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors did not have any conflict of interest in access to these data or associations with companies involved with products used in this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health and Human Performance, University of Montana, 103 McGill Hall, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT, 59812, USA

    Charles L. Dumke

  2. Division of Applied Physiology, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA

    J. Mark Davis, E. Angela Murphy & Martin D. Carmichael

  3. Department of HLES, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, USA

    David C. Nieman, John C. Quindry, N. Travis Triplett, Alan C. Utter, Sarah J. Gross Gowin, Dru A. Henson & Steven R. McAnulty

  4. Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, USA

    Lisa S. McAnulty

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  1. Charles L. Dumke
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Correspondence to Charles L. Dumke.

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Dumke, C.L., Mark Davis, J., Angela Murphy, E. et al. Successive bouts of cycling stimulates genes associated with mitochondrial biogenesis. Eur J Appl Physiol 107, 419–427 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-009-1143-1

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